Liquid dispersing apparatus



July 24, 1956 H. E. RITTENHOUSE 2,756,100

LIQUID DISPERSING APPARATUS Filed April 21, 1953 1/ (i #i 19 I8 7/ i f/6 $//Z i I:

INVENTOR. 17 I BY 3 4 M,J,%7%W,

ATTORNEYS.

United States atent 2,756,100 LIQUID DISPERSING APPARATUS Howard E.Rittenhouse, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to General Development Company,Fort Wayne, Ind, a partnership Application April 21, 1953, Serial No.350,062

4 Claims. (Cl. 299-63) This invention relates to liquid dispersingapparatus, and is particularly useful in the dispersing of liquids ofvarious types in small particles to form a mist, spray, etc. Theinvention is useful in the application of insecticides, herbicides, andsimilar materials carried in solution.

An object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus for breakinga liquid stream into small particles capable of'being moved readily inair streams or currents. Another object of the invention is to providedispersing apparatus that is small and compact and, therefore, occupieslittle space and is also inexpensive, wherefore it is particularlysuited for home use. Still another object of the invention is that ofproviding valve means for discharging liquid from a reservoir and thatis automatically operable to discharge the liquid into an air streamonly when a predetermined volume of air is being supplied by theapparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide dispersing apparatus inwhich a reservoir is rotated during the operation of the apparatus andis equipped with a discharge valve, the valve being operated bycentrifugal force and opens only upon the reservoir being rotated at apredetermined speed. Still a further object is to provide in dispersingapparatus a directional plate operatively arranged with a plurality ofvanes and both being rotatably driven during operation of the apparatusto provide a predetermined volume or mass of air at the designedoperating speed of the dispersing apparatus. Yet a further object is toprovide a reservoir, direction plate and vanes that are all rotatablydriven during operation of the dispersing apparatus to provide apredetermined volume of air passing about the reservoir when theapparatus is operated at the speed for which it is designed. Additionalobjects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, in whichFigure l is a top plan view of the dispersing apparatus; Figure 2 is avertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l and with themotor being shown in elevation; and Figure 3 is a detailed sectionalview of the valve mechanism, the section being taken on line 33 of Fig.2.

The dispersing apparatus includes a motor that may be of any usualconstruction, and since no particular novelty is imparted to the motorstructure, the motor is shown in elevation for purposes of simplicity.The motor 19 is vertically oriented and is equipped at its bottom with asupport 11. The support 11 includes an inner cylindrical portion 12providing at its bottom an inwardlyturned annular flange 13 upon whichthe motor is supported. Studs 14 or capscrews may be used to secure themotor to the flange 13 and, if desired, resilient washers 15 may beinterposed between the flange and the motor to attenuate the motorvibration.

The support 11 is also equipped with generally bellshaped side walls 16that taper outwardly and downwardly and are equipped along the lowerannular edge thereof with a resilient gasket or support 17 that will bereceived upon the floor, table, or other support member.

The side wall 16 is equipped with an aperture having mounted therein arubber grommet 18, and a cable 19 extends through the grommet andcarries the electrical leads for supplying the motor 10 with power. Itwill be noted in Fig. 2 that the wall 16 is also equipped with a secondaperture therethrough also having a rubber grommet 20 mounted therein. Aswitch (not shown) is carriedupon the wall 16 on the outer side thereofand is interposed in the conductors to permit the circuit to beselectively opened and closed to actuate the motor 10. An insulator 21is used to enclose the physical connection between the motor leads andthe conductor carried by the cable 19.

The motor 10 is equipped with a shaft 22 having a threaded upper portion23. Threadably receiving the upper end 23 of the shaft is the centralhub 24 of a reservoir 25 that provides a chamber 26 therein adapted toreceive the liquid to be dispersed. As previously brought out, theliquid may be any type or kind such as solution forms of insecticides,etc., and hereinafter such solutions will be referred to generally asliquids.

The reservoir 25 constitutes the head of the dispersing apparatus andincludes a lower or bottom portion 27 equipped with a plurality of vanes28 that extend outwardly from the central hub 24 in a generallyhorizontal plane. The reservoir 25 also includes a generally globularclosure member 29 having a depending annular wall 30 supported upon anannular lip 31 provided by the lower portion 27 of the reservoir. Thelower reservoir portion 27 provides an upwardly-extending lip 32 that isannular and has supported thereon an annular shoulder 33 provided by theupper reservoir portion 29. A sealing gasket 34, which may be a rubberO-ring, is interposed between the upper and lower reservoir portions andprovides a seal between the meeting edges thereof. The upper or globularclosure portion 29 is provided centrally with depending walls 35 thatare turned inwardly at the bottom and are equipped with an aperture 36therethrough. The hub 24 provided by the lower reservoir portion 27 isequipped at its upper end with a threaded bore 37 and the upperreservoir portion 29 is drawn tightly against the lower reservoir 27 bya capscrew 38 extending through the aperture 36 and threadably receivedwithin the bore 37 of hub 24. By tightening the capscrew 38, aliquidtight seal is provided by the rubber O-ring 34, and at the sametime the upper and lower reservoir portions are fixedly secured to themotor shaft 22 and are rotatably driven thereby.

The depending walls 35 provided centrally by the upper reservoir portion29 are threaded and receive a closure plug 39 therein. The closure plug39 may be equipped with an aperture 40 in the upper wall thereof toprovide a vent for the chamber 26 provided by the reservoir. Thedepending walls 35 are equipped with a plurality of openingstherethrough so that the chamber 26 may be filled with suitable liquidby removing the closure plug 39 and pouring the liquid into the centralopening provided by the depending annular walls 35.

A directional plate 41, having an upwardly and outwardly-inclinedannular wall 42 and an inwardly-turned, substantially horizontal wall 43formed integrally therewith, is rigidly secured to the lower reservoirportion 27 by capscrews 44. The horizontal wall 43 is equipped centrallywith an enlarged annular opening 45, through which air may be drawn andexpelled upwardly along the inner surface of the side walls 42.

As is seen best in Fig. 3, the reservoir 25 is equipped on one side witha boss 46 having a longitudinally-extending passage 47 therethroughcommunicating with the interior of the reservoir through an aperture 48.Threadably-received within the passage 47 is a valve casing 49 equippedwith an outer end wall 50 having an outlet port 3 51"therein and aninner end wall 52 having an inlet port 53 therein. ing engagement withthe reservoir wall about the aperture 48 by means of a sealing gasket 54that may be a rubber O-ring. With this structure, any discharge ofliquid from the reservoir 25 must be through the aperture 48 and inletport 53 and into the valve chamber "55 provided by the valve casing 49.Slidably mounted within the chamber 55 is a valve 56 that is generallycylindrical in shape and isequipped intermediate its'ends with animperforate wall 57 that provides a seat for one end of a helical spring58. The opposite end of the helical spring seats against the outer endwall 50 of the valve casing. The spring 58 normally biases the valve 56against the inner end wall 52 of the valve casing, and-a sealing gasket59, which may be a rubber O-ring, insures sealing engagement between thevalve 56 and inner end wall 52 when the vaivc is urged against the endwall by the spring 58. It will be noted in Fig. 1 that diametricallyopposed to the boss 46 and valve structure carried therein, thereservoir is equipped with an enlargement or boss 60 that provides avalve identical to the valve structure carried upon the opposite sidethereof.

Operation In operation, the motor is connected to a suitable source ofpower and upon throwingof the switch (not shown) carried by the supportcasing 16 to the On position, the motor is actuated and begins torotate. It will be understood that a suitable liquid has been placedwithin the chamber 26 provided by the reservoir prior to actuating themotor 10. As the motor 10 picks up speed, the vanes 28 cooperate withthe directional plate 41 to provide an air fiow through the enlargedopening 45 and upwardly between the inner surface of the sidewall 42 ofthe directional member and the side walls of the reservoir 25. Thespring 58 is operative to force the valve 56 into sealing engagementwith the inner end wall 52 of the valve casing, and there is nodischarge of liquid from the reservoir 25.

When the motor 16 attains operational speed, which is preferably about10,000 revolutions per minute, the cen' trifugal force operative uponthe valve 56 tends to move it longitudinally within the valve casing andchamber provided thereby and overcomes the biasing action of the spring58. When the valve 56 has moved slightly and is spaced from the innerend wall 52, the liquid within the reservoir flows through the aperture48 and inlet port 53 and into the interior orchamber 55 provided by thevalve casing. A loose fit is provided between the valve 56 and thewalls'of the chamber 55, as is indicated in Fig. 3, and the liquidentering the valve chamber fiows between the valve and chamber walls andoutwardly and through the discharge or outlet port 51 and into the airstream surrounding the reservoir and that is provided by the vanes 28and directional plate 41. At this time, the volume or mass of air beingsupplied by the vanes and directional plate is sufficient to insure thatall of the liquid discharged from the outlet port 51 is swept up by theair stream and is dispersed thereby in the form of a mist or very fineparticles.

As the reservoir 25 is rotated, the liquid contained therein will beforced outwardly by centrifugal force and against the side walls of thereservoir. The liquid then will readily move from the reservoir andthrough the valve chamber and outwardly from the outlet port 51 thereofby following .the path previously described. Actually, then, thecentrifugal force provides a liquid within the reservoir that is underpresssure and tends readily to flow through the outlet passages.

The design of the vanes 28 and directional plate 41 is such'that thevolume of air required to completely disperse all of the liquid beingdischarged from the reservoir as a fine spray or mist is provided whenthe dispersing apa layer of air over the inner surface of thedirectional The inner 'end wall 52 is brought into 'sealmember 41 andnone of the liquid discharged from the reservoir impinges'upon the innerwalls of the directional liquid by collection thereon and all of thedroplets discharged from the reservoir and through the control valveremain in particulate or droplet form and are dispersed in this form.This result is not attained if the walls of the directional member 41are perforate, and it is desired then to provide the member withimperforate walls.

When the apparatus is shut off, the instant the rotational velocity ofthe reservoir 25 falls below that required to provide a centrifugalforce operable upon the valve 56 to overcome the biasing force of thespring 58, the inlet port 53 is sealed otfby the valve 56 and thedischarge from the reservoir is terminated. There is no wastage of theexpensive insecticide, etc. during the period when the apparatus isactuated or deactuated, and the valve is automatically operable todischarge, or permit the discharge, of liquid from the reservoir onlywhen the reservoir is rotating at a predetermined speed, and thispredetermined speed also insures the proper volume of air flowing aboutthe reservoir and outwardly therefrom.

While in the foregoing specification a specific embodiment of theinvention has been set out in considerable detail for purposes ofillustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatchanges in these details may be made without departing from the spiritof the invention.

I claim:

1. In liquid dispersing apparatus of the character described, a support,amotor mounted in said support with the shaft thereof extendingupwardly, a hollow casing secured to said shaft and defining a reservoirtherein and being provided with a closureequipped opening for fillingthe same, a direction member rotatable with said reservoir and having anupwardly and outwardly inclined wall spaced from said reservoir andextending thereabout, a centrifugally operated valve carried by saidcasing and communicating with said reservoir, said valve being alignedwith said upwardly and outwardly inclined wall for discharging liquidtheretoward upon rotation of said reservoir at a predetermined velocity,and vanes provided by said casing and disposed between the casing anddirection member for providing an air sheath between the reservoir andupwardly and outwardly inclined wall.

2. In liquid dispersing apparatus, a generally semispherical casingdefining a reservoir therein, said casing defining a bottom closure Wallfor said reservoir and being equipped with a plurality of dependingvanes, a direction member secured to said casing along said bottomclosure wall and having an enlarged central opening therethroughcooperating with said vanes to define an air flow path, said directionmember having an up wardly and outwardly extending annular wall spacedfrom said casing and enclosing a portion thereof, a plurality ofcentrifugally operated valves carried by said casing and extendingoutwardly therefrom in alignment with said annular wall for dischargingliquid from said reservoir in the direction thereof, and motor means forrotating said reservoir, said centrifugally operated valves being spacedoutwardly from the rotational axis of said reservoir and being operativeto discharge liquid therefrom when the rotational velocity of thereservoir reaches a predetermined value.

3. Liquid dispersing apparatus, comprising a generally dish-shapeddirection member having a substantially horizontal bottom wall and anoutwardly inclined side wall extending upwardly therefrom, said bottomwall having an enlarged central opening therethrough, a casing mountedwithin said dish-shaped direction member, and

defining a reservoir adapted to receive liquid therein, said casinghaving a cover wall spaced from said upward ly and outwardly inclinedwall and having also a bottom closure Wall equipped with depending vanesadjacent said central opening, a plurality of centrifugally actuatedvalves carried by said closure wall in alignment with said upwardly andoutwardly inclined wall for discharging liquid theretoward from saidreservoir, closure-equipped means provided by said casing for fillingsaid reservoir, and a shaft-equipped motor disposed with the shaftthereof extending upwardly and secured to said casing, said valves beingoperative to discharge liquid from said reservoir when the rotationalvelocity thereof reaches a predetermined value and said vanes beingeffective to provide an air flow upwardly along the interior of saidinclined wall to sheath the same from liquid discharged by said valvesand to disperse such liquid. I

4. The structure of claim 3 in which each of said and defining a flowpassage extending radially of the rotational axis of said reservoir andcommunicating therewith, a valve member mounted within said valve casingfor movement between open and closed positions, and a spring normallybiasing said valve member into closed position, the biasing force ofsaid spring being selected to be overcome by the centrifugal force ofsaid valve member when the rotational velocity of said reservoir reachesthe aforesaid predetermined value.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,846,716 Geohler et a1. Feb. 23, 1932 2,233,855 Suss Mar. 4, 19412,671,650 Jauch et al Mar. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 158,446 Great BritainFeb. 10, 1921 679,845 Great Britain Sept. 24, 1952

